THE FEEDBACK: Office of the Prime Minister

Query: Government, we need clarity on the training of the Children of the Liberation Struggle.

Response: Government, through the committees established to coordinate the training of the Children of the Liberation Struggle has dispatched 251 Children of the Liberation Struggle to Simon Mutumba Police Training Centre in the Zambezi Region to undergo training for a period of six months. The first two months will focus on civic training, while the remaining four will focus on vocational training.

The Simon Mutumba Police Centre was made available by the Ministry of Safety and Security to be used for this training. The 251 are from the following regions: Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Kavango East, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa and Zambezi regions.

This is a second group of the Children of the Liberation Struggle to go undertraining in addition to two hundred and sixty (260) being trained at Berg Aukas in technical and vocational areas such as motor mechanics, plumbing, welding, building and construction, electrical installation and electronics in order to make them employable, as well as to employ themselves and fully participate in the economy of the country.

Fifty-four of the youth are undergoing training at NIMT in Arandis. The committee is still in the process of identifying more suitable training centres for the remaining Children of the Liberation Struggle. Government is, therefore, appealing to those who have not yet accepted government’s offer to seize the opportunities being implemented to solve their plight.

It should be noted that the initiative to assist the Children of the Liberation Struggle is not the only programme addressing the youth skills development in the country. This is a specific Cabinet directive designed to address the plight of the Children of the Liberation Struggle, in addition to the entire spectrum of youth programmes in the country.

Government has multi-faceted programmes to develop the youth of Namibia and equip them with relevant knowledge and skills through the vocational training centres up to higher institutions of learning, such as the University of Namibia and the National University of Science and Technology and at universities abroad.

Saima Shaanika, public relations officer in the Office of the Prime Minister. E-mail: Saima.Shaanika@opm.gov.na